People who bought this also bought...

Betjeman's Britain

Poems from the BBC Archive

By:
John Betjeman

Narrated by:
John Betjeman

Length: 2 hrs and 3 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
8

Story

5 out of 5 stars
7

Sir John Betejman was one of the best-known and best-loved Poet Laureates. Even after his death, his popularity continues to garner acclaim and new admirers. Fortunately, he left behind a legacy of poetry readings and performances in the BBC archives that can be enjoyed in this comprehensive collection.

5 out of 5 stars

Sublime Betjeman

By
Melvin Twemlow
on
24-08-17

Summoned by the Bells

A Life in Verse

By:
John Betjeman

Narrated by:
John Betjeman

Length: 1 hr and 59 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
18

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
8

Story

4 out of 5 stars
8

In the famous tones of Sir John himself this magnificent autobiography in verse poignantly describes the pains and pleasures of growing up. "Summoned by Bells can hardly help being a landmark....one seems to be living his childhood and boyhood with him." -Stephen Spender

4 out of 5 stars

A beautiful listen

By
Hilary
on
18-01-16

Tennis Whites and Teacakes

By:
John Betjeman

Narrated by:
Charles Collingwood

Length: 2 hrs and 21 mins

Abridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
8

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3

Story

3 out of 5 stars
4

Betjeman's England is a place of patriotic poets and seaside coves, provincial cathedrals and eccentric dons. For 50 years, Betjeman celebrated the glories of Englishness and what it meant to be English. Against a tide of rapid change, he unearthed forgotten heroes, bygone haunts, and old-fashioned modes of thought. But as this original collection reveals, his appeal goes far beyond simple nostalgia. It lies in his passionate convictions, his humour and his humanity.

John Betjeman first fell in love with Cornwall during his childhood holidays and continued to return to it yearly until his death. It inspired some of his best poems and most evocative prose. The Cornish cliffs and beaches, modest churches and formidable sea have the power to stir him which only first love possesses. Opening with two long passages from his verse autobiography,
Summoned by Bells, this collection then alternates between poems and prose.

5 out of 5 stars

A delightful window on a changing world.

By
Melvin Twemlow
on
24-08-17

The Sunday Sessions

By:
Philip Larkin

Narrated by:
Philip Larkin

Length: 46 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
8

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
7

Story

5 out of 5 stars
7

A collection of Larkin's best-known poems, read by the poet.
The Sunday Sessions consists of 26 poems, the contents of two tapes recorded by Philip Larkin in Hull in February 1980 - reportedly, each on a Sunday, after lunch with John Weeks, a sound engineer and colleague of the poet. The tapes contain work from Larkin's first major collection,
The North Ship as well as poems from his best-known collections,
The Whitsun Weddings and
High Windows.

Betjeman's Britain

Poems from the BBC Archive

By:
John Betjeman

Narrated by:
John Betjeman

Length: 2 hrs and 3 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
8

Story

5 out of 5 stars
7

Sir John Betejman was one of the best-known and best-loved Poet Laureates. Even after his death, his popularity continues to garner acclaim and new admirers. Fortunately, he left behind a legacy of poetry readings and performances in the BBC archives that can be enjoyed in this comprehensive collection.

5 out of 5 stars

Sublime Betjeman

By
Melvin Twemlow
on
24-08-17

Summoned by the Bells

A Life in Verse

By:
John Betjeman

Narrated by:
John Betjeman

Length: 1 hr and 59 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
18

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
8

Story

4 out of 5 stars
8

In the famous tones of Sir John himself this magnificent autobiography in verse poignantly describes the pains and pleasures of growing up. "Summoned by Bells can hardly help being a landmark....one seems to be living his childhood and boyhood with him." -Stephen Spender

4 out of 5 stars

A beautiful listen

By
Hilary
on
18-01-16

Tennis Whites and Teacakes

By:
John Betjeman

Narrated by:
Charles Collingwood

Length: 2 hrs and 21 mins

Abridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
8

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3

Story

3 out of 5 stars
4

Betjeman's England is a place of patriotic poets and seaside coves, provincial cathedrals and eccentric dons. For 50 years, Betjeman celebrated the glories of Englishness and what it meant to be English. Against a tide of rapid change, he unearthed forgotten heroes, bygone haunts, and old-fashioned modes of thought. But as this original collection reveals, his appeal goes far beyond simple nostalgia. It lies in his passionate convictions, his humour and his humanity.

John Betjeman first fell in love with Cornwall during his childhood holidays and continued to return to it yearly until his death. It inspired some of his best poems and most evocative prose. The Cornish cliffs and beaches, modest churches and formidable sea have the power to stir him which only first love possesses. Opening with two long passages from his verse autobiography,
Summoned by Bells, this collection then alternates between poems and prose.

5 out of 5 stars

A delightful window on a changing world.

By
Melvin Twemlow
on
24-08-17

The Sunday Sessions

By:
Philip Larkin

Narrated by:
Philip Larkin

Length: 46 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
8

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
7

Story

5 out of 5 stars
7

A collection of Larkin's best-known poems, read by the poet.
The Sunday Sessions consists of 26 poems, the contents of two tapes recorded by Philip Larkin in Hull in February 1980 - reportedly, each on a Sunday, after lunch with John Weeks, a sound engineer and colleague of the poet. The tapes contain work from Larkin's first major collection,
The North Ship as well as poems from his best-known collections,
The Whitsun Weddings and
High Windows.

Summary

Sir John Betjeman, poet, broadcaster, journalist, prose writer and critic, was one of the best-loved figures of the 20th century. Betjeman was a prolific writer and his poems still resonate today. This release celebrates the centenary of Betjeman's birth.